The U.S. Supreme Court recently ruled that online streaming service Aereo Inc. had violated the copyrighted work of major TV networks by streaming their free content to paid subscribers. Aereo pulled in free over-the-air broadcast signals, then stream those channels live to subscribers' computers, tablets, mobile phones and other devices for a subscription fee.

"SOCAN is pleased to see that fair play and sound judgment prevailed," said SOCAN CEO Eric Baptiste. "Every day, SOCAN fights for the fair rights of the more than 120,000 songwriters, composers and music publishers in Canada who are members of SOCAN. Almost everyone agrees that those who create music and other intellectual property deserve to be compensated fairly for their work.

"The United States Supreme Court ruling is a victory for those rights, and it is an important reminder that those who seek to create or rely on loopholes in the law in their attempts to defeat the legitimate rights of creators will not prevail. SOCAN is pleased to see the United States Supreme Court decided that a business built entirely on circumventing IP laws is not legitimate."